While both genders are beautiful blessings that parents should be grateful for, some are praying for only a boy or girl. Determining a child’s gender goes back to prehistoric times when people tried out numerous primitive gender selection techniques revealed in drawings. The odds you can conceive a baby of the preferable sex are actually quite high. Recently, it has been found that conceiving a boy or girl is possible with the help of some scientifically proven methods.

Shettles Method

You would be surprised or even shocked if you knew how easy is to plan to conceive a boy or girl. The science behind this idea can be based on the so-called Shettles method, one of the most popular conception methods developed by Landrum B. Shettles in the 1960s. This theory says that science may help to increase the chances of conceiving a child of specific sex by 75 to 90 percent. In the book How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby, Shettles claims that chances of getting pregnant with a boy or girl can be optimized by determining an ovulation phase, timing intercourse in relation to ovulation date, use of specific sexual position, and depth of male penetration. Let’s take a closer look at this method.

Conceiving a Boy vs. a Girl

A female egg carries only an X chromosome while a sperm may carry either an X or a Y chromosome. So, the man’s sperm cells are of two types, namely, female sperm cells with a X chromosome that make an embryo develop into a girl and male sperm cells that fertilize the egg with a Y chromosome resulting in conceiving a boy. The male sperm cells (carrying the Y chromosomes) are smaller, lighter, faster but more fragile. The female sperm cells (carrying the X chromosomes) are bigger, heavier and slower but more resilient to an acidic environment.

In 2006, in the letter published by BMJ, there have been made attempts to disregard the Shettles method and his statement about the ability of Y sperm swim faster than X sperm. The article claims that studies based on the computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) found no morphological differences between X- and Y-chromosome carrying sperm.

Still, the Shettles theory claims that male and female sperm cells are moving at different speed and this factor is decisive in increasing the chances of conceiving a boy or girl. When tracking a woman’s menstrual cycle, timing intercourse and choosing a sexual position correctly, the Shettles method of gender selection is promised to increase the chances of conceiving a girl or boy up to 90 percent.

How to Calculate Ovulation

To estimate when you will ovulate and figure out your most fertile days, you can combine the result of checking your basal body temperature (BBT), the lowest body temperature in a 24-hour period, and changes in your cervical mucus. On our website, you will also find an ovulation calculator using the results of which you will be able to apply the Shettles method for choosing the baby’s gender.

Ovulation Date Calculator

The BBT is better to measure when you are at rest, in the morning before you get up. Typically, the BBT increases slightly right after a woman ovulates. Note that the most fertile period to conceive a girl is in the two to four days before the ovulation, that is, an increase in BBT. To conceive a boy, you would need to calculate the ovulation day in advance.

As for the cervical mucus, its amount, color, and texture may change over the course of woman’s menstrual cycle. During the ovulation period, it becomes thin, slippery, and stretchy (like egg whites) to make it easier for the sperm cells to get through the cervix to the egg.

Timing of Intercourse in Relation to Ovulation Date

If you would like to conceive a boy, schedule the intercourse directly prior to or during ovulation when the cervical mucus is most fertile. In case you would like to get pregnant with a girl, try to time lovemaking two to four days before you ovulate. If you are having sex closer to ovulation, the odds are high that you will conceive a boy because the male sperm cells reach the egg faster compared to female sperm cells. It is known that ovulation, the most fertile phase, occurs before 7 am, at the so-called “the peak period” which is why intercourse aimed at conceiving a boy should occur from 5 am and continue every 2 hours during the ovulation period.

Given the fact that egg can survive for 24 hours following ovulation and female X-chromosome cells can endure a more acidic environment and egg can live longer, the intercourse that occurs a few days earlier than ovulation may result in getting pregnant with a girl.

Sexual Position

Even the sexual position taken during the intercourse may be helpful in conceiving a baby of a desired gender. When talking about conceiving a girl, the Shettles method recommends shallow penetration as it makes it more difficult for the male sperm cells to get to the uterus opening. In addition, it suggests that women should not have an orgasm when trying to conceive a girl. So,  the missionary position might be the most suitable one. In this case, the sperm deposited close to the entrance is inhibited allowing the X sperm cells to reach the egg.

When trying to conceive a boy, deep penetration is recommended to allow the Y sperm cells to reach the egg as quickly as possible. In order to get the sperm closer to the egg and abundant cervical mucus, the so-called “doggy style” position is recommended as it ensures the deepest penetration. Male sperm is less resilient to acidic environment, so it should be deposited at the least acidic area, right to the uterus opening. According to Shettles theory, a woman should try to have an orgasm when trying to conceive a boy as increase in alkaline level will make the environment more favorable to the Y sperm cells.

To Conclude

Gender selection methods and techniques have always been an engaging topic. While Shettles method is not 100 percent helpful, it still is widely used among many couples. To make the planning of your pregnancy easier, use our ovulation calculator designed specifically for those who have been dreaming about a baby girl or boy. If you are not sure about your child’s sex, try out one of our Gender determination packages that include such popular gender determination theories as Ramzi, Nub, Skull and 20 week anatomy theories.